US5013462A - Method for improving production of viscous crude oil - Google Patents
Method for improving production of viscous crude oil Download PDFInfo
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- US5013462A US5013462A US07/492,236 US49223690A US5013462A US 5013462 A US5013462 A US 5013462A US 49223690 A US49223690 A US 49223690A US 5013462 A US5013462 A US 5013462A
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
- C10L—FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE OR UNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; FIRELIGHTERS
- C10L1/00—Liquid carbonaceous fuels
- C10L1/10—Liquid carbonaceous fuels containing additives
- C10L1/14—Organic compounds
- C10L1/18—Organic compounds containing oxygen
- C10L1/192—Macromolecular compounds
- C10L1/198—Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds homo- or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon to carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an acyloxy radical of a saturated carboxylic acid, of carbonic acid
- C10L1/1985—Macromolecular compounds obtained otherwise than by reactions involving only carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds homo- or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon to carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by an acyloxy radical of a saturated carboxylic acid, of carbonic acid polyethers, e.g. di- polygylcols and derivatives; ethers - esters
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- C09K—MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- C09K3/00—Materials not provided for elsewhere
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- C09K—MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- C09K8/00—Compositions for drilling of boreholes or wells; Compositions for treating boreholes or wells, e.g. for completion or for remedial operations
- C09K8/58—Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids
- C09K8/584—Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids characterised by the use of specific surfactants
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
- C10L—FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE OR UNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; FIRELIGHTERS
- C10L1/00—Liquid carbonaceous fuels
- C10L1/10—Liquid carbonaceous fuels containing additives
- C10L1/14—Organic compounds
- C10L1/143—Organic compounds mixtures of organic macromolecular compounds with organic non-macromolecular compounds
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
- C10L—FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G, C10K; LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS; ADDING MATERIALS TO FUELS OR FIRES TO REDUCE SMOKE OR UNDESIRABLE DEPOSITS OR TO FACILITATE SOOT REMOVAL; FIRELIGHTERS
- C10L1/00—Liquid carbonaceous fuels
- C10L1/10—Liquid carbonaceous fuels containing additives
- C10L1/14—Organic compounds
- C10L1/18—Organic compounds containing oxygen
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S507/00—Earth boring, well treating, and oil field chemistry
- Y10S507/935—Enhanced oil recovery
- Y10S507/936—Flooding the formation
- Y10S507/937—Flooding the formation with emulsion
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T137/00—Fluid handling
- Y10T137/0318—Processes
- Y10T137/0391—Affecting flow by the addition of material or energy
Definitions
- the invention relates to methods for improving the mobility and production rate of a viscous crude oil by forming an oil-in-water emulsion with blends of certain surfactants.
- Still another method of reducing the viscosity of heavy crude oils is by means of an oil-in-water emulsion.
- the following patents disclose such methods using a variety of agents to form emulsions for this purpose:
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,052 discloses the use of a combination of an ethoxylated alkylphenol and a low molecular weight alkylaryl sulfonate to reduce the viscosity of viscous hydrocarbons.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,919 discloses a method employing a combination of an ethoxylated alkylphenol and an ethoxylated polypropylene glycol.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,554 discloses an emulsion from using a combination of an ethoxylated alkylphenol and a salt of an ethoxylated alcohol sulfate.
- 4,265,264 relates to a method employing a combination of a salt of an ethoxylated alcohol sulfate and certain polyoxyethylene polyoxypropylene copolymers or an ethoxylated alcohol.
- U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,356 discloses a method for reducing the viscosity of viscous hydrocarbons by forming an emulsion with a combination of certain alkylpolyether ethoxylated sulfates and an alcohol ether sulfate.
- the present invention relates to a method having distinct advantages over those of the prior art in that (1) oil-in-water emulsions of very low viscosity at ambient temperature are obtained; (2) said emulsions afford marked improvement in the productivity of wells producing viscous crude oils; (3) said emulsions are unexpectedly more stable than those from prior art compositions, making them preferred for pipeline transport.
- the invention discloses a method for improving the mobility of a viscous crude oil and a method for transporting a viscous crude oil through a pipeline, where each of said methods comprises forming an oil-in-water emulsion containing from 20 to 80 percent by weight of the viscous crude oil and 80 to 20 percent by weight of water in the presence of from 100 to 1500 parts by weight of a surfactant blend per million parts by weight of said emulsion, where said blend comprises from 15 to 85 parts by weight of an anionic or amphoteric surfactant (A) which is selected from those of the formulae ##STR3## a sodium and ammonium salt thereof; and from 85 to 15 parts by weight of a nonionic surfactant selected from those of the formula ##STR4## said surfactant (C) having an HLB value of from 10 to 20; where
- Ar is octylphenyl or nonylphenyl
- n is a number from 2 to 10
- p is a number from 10 to 100
- a is a number from 10 to 40
- b is a number from 15 to 55
- c is a number from 10 to 40
- R 1 is C 8 to C 18 alkyl
- R 2 is C 12 to C 18 alkyl.
- the invention also relates to an emulsion formed by the above methods.
- a particularly preferred amount of oil present in the emulsion is from 50 to 75 percent by weight, the remaining part (50 to 25 percent by weight) being water.
- a particularly preferred blend of surfactants comprises from 20 to 80 parts by weight of said surfactant (A) and from 80 20 parts by weight of said surfactant (B) or said surfactant (C).
- An especially preferred emulsion for the methods of the invention are those wherein said blend comprises from 50 to 80 parts by weight of surfactant (A) and from 50 to 20 parts by weight of surfactant (B).
- a particularly preferred amount of said surfactant blend employed in the emulsion is from 200 to 1000 parts by weight of said blend per million parts by weight of said emulsion.
- a class of particularly preferred surfactant blends are those wherein (A) is an anionic surfactant selected from (A 1 ), (A 2 ) or (A 3 ), as defined above, or a sodium or ammonium salt thereof and said nonionic surfactant is (B), as defined above; also included in said class are blends wherein (A) is the anionic surfactant (A 1 ), as defined above, and said nonionic surfactant is (C), as defined above, but having an HLB value of from 12 to 16.
- Specific surfactant blends that are especially preferred for preparation of the emulsions of the invention and for carrying out the invention methods are those having the following active ingredients and wherein said blend comprises from 20 to 80 parts by weight of the stated surfactant (A) and from 80 to 20 parts by weight of the stated surfactant (B) or (C):
- the invention relates to a method for increasing the productivity of viscous crude oil wells by improving the mobility of the oil downhole and at the wellhead and improving its transport through pipelines by forming an oil-in-water emulsion with certain novel blends of surfactants.
- viscous crude oil means oil which has an API gravity of less than about 25° and/or a viscosity greater than 500 cP at any temperature.
- the surfactants and mixtures thereof were screened initially in the laboratory for those having the ability to form oil-in-water emulsions of substantially reduced viscosity at ambient temperature and also having adequate stability to allow for transporting the emulsion to the site of oil recovery.
- Preferred emulsions would not be so stable that subsequent oil separation would be difficult.
- the ideal emulsion is one that is highly mobile at ambient temperature downhole, at the wellhead and during transport, and readily gives substantially complete oil separation at the recovery site.
- the laboratory testing was carried out by forming oil-in-water emulsions with samples of various viscous crude oils and measuring their viscosity and emulsion stability by methods well known in the art. These tests were carried out employing either water or a brine as the aqueous phase.
- the brines employed were either natural brines obtained from a well site or synthetic brines which simulated those which occur naturally.
- the anionic or amphoteric surfactant designated as (A) in the above-mentioned surfactant blends is selected from those of the formulae
- the nonionic surfactant designated as (B) in the above-mentioned surfactant blends is selected from those of the formula Ar(OCH 2 CH 2 ) p OH where Ar is as previously defined and p is a number from 10 to 100 which represents the average number of ethylene oxide units.
- the alternatively used nonionic surfactant designated as (C) in the above-mentioned surfactant blends is selected from the block copolymers of the formula ##STR10## where a and c represent average numbers of the terminal ethylene oxide units and b represents the average number of propylene oxide units in the central block.
- Suitable surfactants (A 1 ), above, which are commercially available include Alipal® CO-433 and Alipal® CO-436 available from GAF Corporation, New York, N.Y. 10020.
- Other suppliers of surfactants (A 1 ) wherein the average value of n is from 2 to 10 include Witco Chemical Corporation, New York, N.Y. 10022; Onyx Chemical Company, Jersey City, N.J. 07302; Conoco Chemicals, Houston, Tex. and Rohm and Haas Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 19105.
- surfactants (A 2 ), above which are commercially available include Eleminol® MON-7 from Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd., Kyoto, Japan; and the Dowfax® Surfactants 2A0, 2A1 and 3B2 from Dow Chemical U.S.A., Specialty Chemicals Department, Midland, Mich. 48640.
- Suitable surfactants (A 3 ), above, which are commercially available include Miranol® C2MSF, Miranol® H2M, Miranol® L2M-SF, Miranol® O2M and Miranol® C2M available from Miranol Chemical Company, Dayton, N.J., 08810; and Cycloteric® DC-SF from Cyclo Chemical Corp., Miami, Fla.
- Suitable nonionic surfactants (B) which are commercially available include Triton® X-100, Triton® X-305, Triton® X-405, Triton® X-705 and Triton® N-998, containing respectively an average of 10, 30, 40, 70 and 100 oxyethylene units, available from Rohm and Haas Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 19105; T-DET® N-407 and T-DET®507 from Thompson Hayward, Kansas City, Kans. 66110 and Tergitol® NP-40from Union Carbide Corp., Danbury, Conn. 06817.
- Suitable nonionic surfactants (C), above, which are commercially available include several of the Pluronic® Surfactants from BASF Wyandotte Corp., Wyandotte, Mich. 48192, including Pluronic® L35 (HLB 18.5), L43 (HLB 12), L44 (HLB 16), P65 (HLB 17), L64 (HLB 17), L63 (HLB 11), P75 (HLB 16.5), P85 (HLB 16), P84 (HLB 14), P94 (HLB 13.5), P104 (HLB 13) and P105 (HLB 15).
- Pluronic® L35 L43 (HLB 12), L44 (HLB 16), P65 (HLB 17), L64 (HLB 17), L63 (HLB 11), P75 (HLB 16.5), P85 (HLB 16), P84 (HLB 14), P94 (HLB 13.5), P104 (HLB 13) and P105 (HLB 15).
- HLB hydrophile-lipophile balance
- effective emulsions of the invention are those containing from 20 parts by weight of oil and 80 parts by weight of water to those having 80 parts by weight of oil and 20 parts by weight of water.
- Especially preferred emulsions are those having from 50 to 75 parts by weight of oil and from 50 to 25 parts by weight of water.
- the "water” employed in the emulsion can be either fresh water, containing little or no dissolved solids, or a brine, containing relatively high levels (up to 15% by weight) of total dissolved solids (TDS), including ordinary salt.
- TDS total dissolved solids
- the "water” employed in the emulsion is that water produced from the well along with the heavy crude oil.
- the fluid produced by a well is a very viscous water-in-oil emulsion. It has been found that upon introduction of a surfactant blend of the invention down the well annulus with moderate down-hole mixing, the viscous water-in-oil emulsion will invert to form a very low viscosity oil-in-water emulsion.
- concentration of the surfactant blend which is based on the emulsion weight, may vary over a wide range, preferred concentrations are those within the range of 100 to 1500 parts by weight of surfactant blend per million parts by weight of emulsion, and especially preferred blends are those having from 200 to 1000 parts by weight of surfactant per million parts by weight of emulsion.
- the parts of surfactant refers to the parts of active ingredient, excluding inert diluents ordinarily employed in their formulations, e.g. water.
- Preferred surfactant blends are those comprising from 20 to 80 parts by weight of surfactant (A) and 80 to 20 parts by weight of either surfactant (B) or surfactant (C) and especially preferred are those having from 50 to 80 parts by weight of surfactant (A) and 50 to 20 parts by weight of the remaining active ingredient (B) or (C).
- a 100 ml portion of the emulsion was poured into a graduated cylinder and allowed to stand at 25° C. After six hours, each cylinder was inverted three times in order to redisperse the mixture. The viscosity was remeasured and recorded.
- the extent of viscosity reduction and the ease of redispersibility after standing are measures of the amount of coalescence of the oil phase and are thus a measure of the stability of the emulsion. The results are summarized in the table below.
- the viscosity of the resulting emulsion was measured with a Brookfield LVTD viscometer, #2 spindle at 6 rpm. A 100 ml portion of the emulsion was poured into a graduated cylinder and allowed to stand at 25° C.
- Blend 2 of Example 1 The effect of varying surfactant ratio of Blend 2 of Example 1 was determined employing the same California heavy crude oil designated as Oil Type A below and a second California heavy crude, Type B, by the method of Example 1 , except that the ratio of surfactants in the blend is as shown below.
- Blend 2 of Example 1 The effect of varying the total weight of surfactants employing Blend 2 of Example 1 was carried out with a 12° API Central California heavy crude oil having Brookfield viscosity (centipoise) as follows:
- Example 1 emulsion stability was determined after standing for two hours, rather than six hours. The percent of phase separation after the emulsion stood for two hours was also recorded. The results are summarized below.
- a highly asphaltic Peruvian heavy crude oil, 280 g, 10% TDS brine, 120 g and 560 ppm (0.224 g) of a 50/50 surfactant blend (by weight) was emulsified and the initial Brookfield viscosity measured as in Example 1 to determine the thinning effectiveness of the surfactant blend at 25° C.
- the emulsion was then shaken for 24 hours at 27° C. at a rate of 150 cycles/minute to determine emulsion stability based on oil coalescence by determination of oil globule size.
- a globule size of less than 2 millimeters under these conditions (size 1) passes the test.
- a South American crude oil having a Brookfield Viscosity of 11,000 cps. at 20° C. and 2,800 cps. at 27° C. and a paraffin/asphaltene ratio of 4.1 was emulsified in brine containing 6.7% or 9.1% total dissolved solids with three different surfactant blends as shown below. In each case the emulsions contained 70% oil and 30% brine by weight and 560 ppm of surfactant blend. Emulsions were prepared in a Waring Blender at 60° C., cooled to 25° C. and the initial Brookfield Viscosity determined using spindle #3 at 6 rpm. The emulsion stability was determined by the oil droplet size after shaking for 24 hours at 27° C. as described in Example 5. The results are summarized below.
- Example 8 The procedure of Example 8 was repeated with a Western Canada Bitumen having Brookfield viscosity 34,800 cps. at 25° C. In addition to the initial viscosity and emulsion stability, the percent of separation after standing for 24 hours was determined. The results are summarized in the table below.
- Samples of Geisinger, Calif. heavy crude oil having a Brookfield viscosity of >10,000 centipoise (13.5° API) at 25° C. were emulsified in brine having 10% total dissolved solids at a ratio of 70 parts by weight of oil and 30 parts by weight brine, with the surfactant blend indicated below at 280 ppm of each component (total surfactant blend, 560 ppm based on total weight of emulsion).
- the initial viscosity (cps) and phase separation upon standing at 25° C. was determined. The results are summarized below.
- a marginally productive well in a field under steam drive was employed which during a pretrial period of 26 days had an average daily oil production of 0.7 barrels with an average gravity of 12° API [0.986 g/cm 3 ] and average Brookfield viscosity >20,000 cps.
- the viscosity of various samples of this crude oil was reduced to 130 to 180 cps. with 280-560 ppm of Surfactant Blend 2* by method of Example 1.
- an aqueous solution of Blend 2* was continuously injected down the annulus.
- the fluid produced during this period contained, on the average, 36% of aqueous phase and 64% oil, by weight and 500 ppm surfactant blend, by weight.
- the average fluid production of the well increased 240% and the oil production increased by 450%.
- the average wellhead temperature was 30° C.
- the surface flowline pressure was reduced from a pretrial 300 psig to 26 psig during the trial period.
- Dosing was maintained at about 520 ppm until day 13 on which it was further increased to 730 ppm and maintained at 700 to 910 ppm until the end of the trial period on day 18. During days 11-18 the viscosity remained low (12-90 cps.) except for readings of 5200 and 2000 on day 12.
- 10020 is sulfated nonylphenoxytri (ethyleneoxy) ethanol; Triton® X-100, Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, Pa. 19105 is octylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol, C 8 H 17 C 6 H 4 O(CH 2 CH 2 O) 10 H.
- surfactant (A) is of the formula Ar(OCH 2 CH 2 ) n OSO 3 H where Ar is octylphenyl or nonylphenyl, and the average number of ethylene oxide units, n, is a number of from 2 to 10, or a corresponding sodium or ammonium salt, emulsions having satisfactory mobility and exhibiting facile separation of the oil phase, are likewise obtained.
- Example 5 When the procedure of Example 5 is repeated by employing blends of surfactants, below, containing equal parts by weight of the following active ingredients, satisfactory results are also observed.
Abstract
Description
__________________________________________________________________________ Thinning Effectiveness, Emulsion Stability, Emulsifying Initial Viscosity at 25° C. Viscosity after 6 hours at Agent.sup.1 (centipoise) 25° C. (centipoise).sup.2 __________________________________________________________________________ None 20,000 N.A. Surfactant I 9,450 N.A. Surfactant II 200 4,200 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,835) Surfactant III 250 5,200 Surfactant IV 200 5,000 Surfactant V 180 6,800 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,835) Surfactant VI 400 5,500 (Blend of U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,052) Surfactant VII 320 5,840 (Blend of U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,554) Blend 1 (I + III) 200 4,400 Blend 2 (I + II) 300 1,100 Blend 3 (I + V) 300 1,700 __________________________________________________________________________ Surfactant Chemical Name and Formula __________________________________________________________________________ I Nonylphenoxytri(ethyleneoxy)ethanol sulfate- C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.3 OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OSO.sub.3 H, (Alipal ® CO-436, GAF Corp., New York, New York 10020). II Octylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol (30 moles ethylene oxide) - C.sub.8 H.sub.17 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.30 OH, (Triton ® X-305, Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19105). III Octylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol (70 moles ethylene oxide) - C.sub.8 H.sub.17 C.sub. 6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.70 OH, (Triton ® X-705, Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19105). IV Nonylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol (100 moles ethylene oxide) - C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.100 OH, (Triton ® N-998, Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19105). V Block copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide (40% ethylene oxide), ##STR11## Wyandotte Corp., Wyandotte, Michigan 48192). VI Dodecylbenzenesulfonate and nonylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol - C.sub.12 H.sub.25 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 SO.sub.3 H and C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.40 OH 50/50 blend. VII Alfonic 1412-A ®** [C.sub.12-14 H.sub.25-29 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2) .sub.3 OSO.sub.3 NH.sub.4 ] plus T-DET-N407 ®** [C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.40 OH] 50/50 blend (w/w). __________________________________________________________________________ Blend 1 50/50 (w/w) blend of surfactants I and III, above. Blend 2 50/50 (w/w) blend of surfactants I and II, above. Blend 3 50/50 (w/w) blend of surfactants I and V, above. .sup.1 560 ppm of active surfactant below based on weight of emulsion. .sup.2 N.A. = Not applicable .sup.** Alfonic is a registered trademark of Conoco Chemicals. TDET is a registered trademark of Thompson Hayward Chemical Co.
__________________________________________________________________________ Emulsion Stability: Thinning Effectiveness: Viscosity, cP, 25° C. Initial Viscosity after Emulsifying Agent* Concentration cP, 25° C. 2 Hours 6 Hours __________________________________________________________________________ None 0 ppm >5000 >5000 >5000 Surfactant II of Example 1 560 ppm 95 >5000 >5000 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,835) Surfactant V of Example 1 560 ppm >5000 >5000 >5000 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,835) Surfactant VIII 560 ppm >5000 >5000 >5000 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,467,195) Surfactant IX 560 ppm >5000 >5000 >5000 Surfactant X 560 ppm >5000 >5000 >5000 80/20 (weight) blend of T-DET 560 ppm 95 >5000 >5000 N-407 ® and surfactant V of Example 1 (a preferred surfactant blend of U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,919) Blend 8 - 60/40 470 ppm 45 240 965 (weight) blend of Surfactant I of Example 1 and Surfactant XI __________________________________________________________________________ *Surfactant VIII Nonylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol, C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.10 OH, (Triton ® N101, Rohm and Haas). Surfactant IX Dowfax ® 2A1, Dow Chemical Co. ##STR12## Surfactant X Miranol ® C2MSF, Miranol Chemical Co., Inc. Dayton, NJ 08810; a dicarboxylic coconut derivative of imidazoline of the formula ##STR13## Surfactant XI Nonylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol, 4C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.30 OH, (Alipal ® CO887, GAF Corp.) T-DET ® N-407, C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.40 OH, Thompson Hayward Chemical Co.
______________________________________ Ratio of Surfactant I/II Oil Thinning Emulsion (Total = 560 ppm) Type Effectiveness.sup.1 Stability.sup.2 ______________________________________ 0/100 A 200 4200 25/75 A 240 3100 50/50 A 300 1100 75/25 A 7280 N.A..sup.3 100/0 A 9450 N.A..sup.3 50/50 .sup. B.sup.4 300 700 ______________________________________ Footnotes: .sup.1 Initial viscosity at 25° C., centipoise. .sup.2 Viscosity after standing at 25° C. for six hours, centipoise. .sup.3 N.A. = Not applicable. .sup.4 California heavy crude oil, 11-12 API gravity, viscosity at 33° C. is 15,000 centipoise.
__________________________________________________________________________ Effect of Concentration of Blend 2 on Emulsion Viscosity and Stability % Phase Separ- Amount of Blend 2, ppm Initial Viscosity, Viscosity After Two Hours ation After Based on Weight of Emulsion (Centipoise) at 25° C. (Centipoise) Two Hours __________________________________________________________________________ None >20,000 >20,000 100 280 130 600 32 560 180 400 20 1120 160 400 10 __________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________ Initial Viscosity and Stability of Northern Montana Heavy Crude Oil Emulsions (70:30 water/oil) with Various Surfactant Blends at 800 ppm (based on weight of oil) Initial Viscosity, cps. Surfactant 5% TDS Phase Separation (%/Hr.) Blend* Tap H.sub.2 O Brine Tap H.sub.2 O 5% TDS Brine ______________________________________ Blend 1 62 74 18 23 of Example 1 Blend 2 214 70 28 31 of Example 1 Blend 4 108 84 21 33 Blend 5 70 35 37 69 ______________________________________ *Blend 4 a 50:50 (weight) mixture of surfactant I, above, and surfactant IV of Example 1, nonylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol (Triton ® N998, Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, PA 19105). Blend 5 a 50:50 (weight) mixture of surfactant I, above, and octylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol, C.sub.8 H.sub.17 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 O(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.10 H (Triton ® X100, Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, PA 19105).
__________________________________________________________________________ Thinning Effectiveness, Emulsion Stability Viscosity at 25° C. after 24 Hours, Surfactant Blend (Centipoise) Shaker Test __________________________________________________________________________ None >20,000 Not Applicable 112 mg each of nonylphenoxytri)ethyl- 230 1-2 eneoxy)ethanol sulfate and ethylene oxide, propylene oxide block copolymer (40% ethylene oxide) (Blend 3 of Example 1) 112 mg each of ethylene oxide, propyl- 230 1 ene oxide block copolymer (40% ethylene oxide), (V of Example 1) and disodium [(C.sub.8 H.sub.17 --C.sub.18 H.sub.37)-4-(sulfonylphenoxy)]- benzenesulfonate* - Blend 9 __________________________________________________________________________ *Eleminol MON7, a registered trademark of Sanyo Chemical KK.
______________________________________ Surfac- Initial tant Viscosity of Emulsion Appearance Blend 2, Emulsion, After 25 ft. ppm* (centipoise) Initial of tubing Water Breakout ______________________________________ 70 130 Smooth Considerable 170 ml coalescence clear after 10 minutes 140 100 Smooth Slight 170 ml coalescence clear after 30 minutes 280 80 Smooth Smooth 160 ml muddy after 20 hours 560 90 Smooth Smooth 150 ml muddy after 20 hours ______________________________________ *based on weight of emulsion.
______________________________________ Surfactant Blend Concen- Breakdown Time, Hours tration, ppm* Blend 1 of Example 1 Blend 2 of Example 1 ______________________________________ 140 0.25 -- 280 0.50 0.6 420 0.75 -- 560 1.4 1.5 840 1.5 1.7 ______________________________________ *Based on weight of emulsion.
______________________________________ Initial Emulsion Emulsion Stability Brine, Viscosity, at 24 hours, Surfactant Blend (560 ppm) % TDS cps. droplet size ______________________________________ Blend 6-a 50:50 (weight) 6.7 40 completely blend of Surfactant X of coalesced Example 1A and Surfactant II of Example 1 Blend 4 of Example 4 6.7 420 2-5 mm Blend 4 of Example 4 9.1 230 2 mm Blend 7-a 50:50 (weight) 9.1 230 1 mm blend of Eleminol MON-7* and Surfactant IV of Example 1 ______________________________________ *Eleminol ® MON-7, Sanyo Chemical Co. is a disodium alkyl4-(sulfophenoxy)benzenesulfonate of the formula ##STR14## where R.sup.1 is C.sub.8 H.sub.17 to C.sub.18 H.sub.37 which may be straight chain or branched.
______________________________________ Emulsion Surfactant Initial Stability at 24 hours Blend* (ppm, Weight Emulsion Drop Size % Phase by weight Ratio Viscosity, After Shaking, Separation of emulsion) oil/water cps. mm on Standing ______________________________________ Blend 1 (280) 70/30 180 5-10 100 Blend 1 (560) 70/30 100 <1 6 Blend 2 (280) 70/30 160 5-10 100 Blend 2 (420) 70/30 160 <1 100 Blend 2 (560) 70/30 60 <1 10 Blend 4 (280) 70/30 140 5-10 100 Blend 4 (560) 70/30 80 <1 6 Blend 7 (560) 70/30 50 1-2 100 Blend 2 (560) 80/20 1250 <1 3 ______________________________________ *All surfactant blends are 50:50 by weight. Blends 1, 2 and 4 are as defined in Example 4. Blend 7 is as defined in Example 8.
__________________________________________________________________________ Initial Emulsion Phase Separation, Surfactant Blend** (560 ppm) Viscosity, at 25° C., cps.* ml/hour __________________________________________________________________________ None >10,000 -- Blend 2 600 0.9 __________________________________________________________________________ *Using a Brookfield Viscometer, LVT, spindle #3 at 6 rpm, and 25° C. **Blend 2 is an equal weight mixture of Alipal ® CO436 and Triton ® X305 brands of surfactants I and II, respectively, as defined in Example 1.
__________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY OF AVERAGED DATA FROM TRIAL AT REWARD FIELD WELL, MCKITTRICK, CALIFORNIA, WITH SURFACTANT BLEND 2 (500 ppm) Fluid per day, Oil per day, Flowline Viscosity, Ambient Temp., °C., Barrels Barrels pressure, psig cps** High/Low __________________________________________________________________________ Pretrial 1.8 0.7 300 20,000 9.5/-0.6 (26 Days) Trial 6.1 3.9 26 10-20 13/2 (10 Days) Post-trial 5.0 1.2 177 41,200 19/6 (28 Days) __________________________________________________________________________ *The surfactant blend employed was a 5% aqueous solution of equal parts b weight of the active ingredients: (A.sup.1) sulfated nonylphenoxytri(ethyleneoxy)ethanol (Alipal ® CO436 from GAF Corporation, New York, NY 10020) and (B) octylphenoxypoly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol with 30 moles of ethylene oxide (Triton ® X305, from Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia, PA 19105.) It was pumped into the annulus at a rate calculated to give the desired level of surfactant blend, oil and water. **Using a Brookfield Viscometer, LV#3 spingle at 60 rpm, HA#4 spindle at 10 rpm.
__________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY OF AVERAGED DATA FROM TRIAL AT MIDWAY-SUNSET FIELD, FELLOWS, CALIFORNIA WITH SURFACTANT BLEND 2 AT 440 TO 1300 ppm) Fluid per day, Oil per day, Flowline Viscosity, Ambient Temp., °C., Barrels Barrels pressure, psig cps. High/Low __________________________________________________________________________ Pretrial 13 6 130 29,000 26/7 (8 Days) Trial 17 9.8 100 540.sup.# 19/7 (10 Days) Post-trial 12 6 290 21,800.sup.## 19/7 (5 Days) __________________________________________________________________________ *Using a Brookfield Viscometer, HA#4 spindle at 10 rpm. .sup.# During days 13-18 the viscosity remained in the range of 12-90 cps .sup.## The posttrial viscosity ranged from 13,200 cps. on day 19 to 31,360 cps. on day 22, the final reading taken.
__________________________________________________________________________ SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM TRIAL AT FOREST HILLS FIELD, QUITMAN, TEXAS, WITH 80:20 (w/w) SURFACTANT BLEND OF ALIPAL CO-436 ® AND TRITON X-100 ® AT 300 TO 750 PPM* Standard Trial with Light Oil Diluent Surfactant/Water Method Over 14 Days Emulsification Over 6 Days __________________________________________________________________________ Fluid Viscosity, cps. 625-17,600 50-100 Wellhead Pressure, psig. 100-350 50-100 Flowline Pressure, psig. 130-350 75-125 Oil Production, barrels/day 57-70 60-74 __________________________________________________________________________ *Based on weight of active surfactants per weight of total fluid.
______________________________________ Weight ratio, oil/water ______________________________________ 20/80 30/70 40/60 60/40 80/20 ______________________________________
______________________________________ Parts by Weight Surfactant A Surfactant B Surfactant C ______________________________________ 15 85 -- 30 70 -- 40 60 -- 60 40 -- 70 30 -- 85 15 -- 30 -- 70 45 -- 55 55 -- 45 65 -- 35 70 -- 30 85 -- 15 15 -- 85 ______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________ Surfactant (A) Surfactant (C) [HLB] __________________________________________________________________________ 4-n-C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.4 OSO.sub.3 Na ##STR15## 4-n-C.sub.8 H.sub.17 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.6 OSO.sub.3 NH.sub.4 ##STR16## 4-n-C.sub.8 H.sub.17 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.8 OSO.sub.3 NH.sub.4 ##STR17## 4-n-C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.10 OSO.sub.3 Na ##STR18## 4-n-C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.5 OSO.sub.3 Na ##STR19## 4-n-C.sub.8 H.sub.17 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.4 OSO.sub.3 Na ##STR20## 4-n-C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.4 OSO.sub.3 Na ##STR21## 4-n-C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.4 OSO.sub.3 Na ##STR22## 4-n-C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.4 OSO.sub.3 Na ##STR23## 4-n-C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.2 OSO.sub.3 Na ##STR24## 4-n-C.sub.9 H.sub.19 C.sub.6 H.sub.4 (OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.8 OSO.sub.3 NH.sub.4 ##STR25## __________________________________________________________________________
Claims (24)
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US79091685A | 1985-10-24 | 1985-10-24 | |
US07/047,950 US4757833A (en) | 1985-10-24 | 1987-05-08 | Method for improving production of viscous crude oil |
US18180188A | 1988-04-15 | 1988-04-15 | |
US07/492,236 US5013462A (en) | 1985-10-24 | 1990-03-07 | Method for improving production of viscous crude oil |
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Cited By (24)
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US5311943A (en) * | 1992-10-19 | 1994-05-17 | Shell Oil Company | Blends of propoxy and ethoxy surfactants |
US5445179A (en) * | 1992-07-06 | 1995-08-29 | Eniricerche S.P.A. | Process for recovering and causing highly viscous petroleum products to flow |
US5860475A (en) * | 1994-04-28 | 1999-01-19 | Amoco Corporation | Mixed well steam drive drainage process |
US5863301A (en) * | 1994-06-02 | 1999-01-26 | Empresa Colombiana De Petroleos ("Ecopetrol") | Method of produce low viscosity stable crude oil emulsion |
US5976200A (en) * | 1996-02-09 | 1999-11-02 | Intevep, S.A. | Water in viscous hydrocarbon emulsion combustible fuel for diesel engines and process for making the same |
US20060185842A1 (en) * | 2002-12-19 | 2006-08-24 | Yiyan Chen | Rheology Modifiers |
US20060229231A1 (en) * | 2002-12-19 | 2006-10-12 | Yiyan Chen | Rheology Enhancers |
US20070042911A1 (en) * | 2003-10-02 | 2007-02-22 | Philip Fletcher | Method for reducing the viscosity of viscous fluids |
US20090005490A1 (en) * | 2005-04-04 | 2009-01-01 | Jeffrey Forsyth | Wax-Containing Materials |
US20090078414A1 (en) * | 2007-09-25 | 2009-03-26 | Schlumberger Technology Corp. | Chemically enhanced thermal recovery of heavy oil |
US7770640B2 (en) | 2006-02-07 | 2010-08-10 | Diamond Qc Technologies Inc. | Carbon dioxide enriched flue gas injection for hydrocarbon recovery |
US7770643B2 (en) | 2006-10-10 | 2010-08-10 | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | Hydrocarbon recovery using fluids |
US7809538B2 (en) | 2006-01-13 | 2010-10-05 | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | Real time monitoring and control of thermal recovery operations for heavy oil reservoirs |
US7832482B2 (en) | 2006-10-10 | 2010-11-16 | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | Producing resources using steam injection |
US20110139262A1 (en) * | 2009-12-15 | 2011-06-16 | Instituto Mexicano Del Petroleo | Process of preparing improved heavy and extra heavy crude oil emulsions by use of biosurfactants in water and product thereof |
US20140083705A1 (en) * | 2012-09-21 | 2014-03-27 | Instituto Mexicano Del Petroleo | Microemulsion to improve the flow of heavy hydrocarbons, its preparation and use |
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US10487636B2 (en) | 2017-07-27 | 2019-11-26 | Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company | Enhanced methods for recovering viscous hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation as a follow-up to thermal recovery processes |
US10689563B2 (en) | 2014-05-23 | 2020-06-23 | Instituto Mexicano Del Petróleo | Branched geminal zwitterionic liquids, method for obtaining same and use thereof as wettability modifiers having viscosity reducing properties |
US11002123B2 (en) | 2017-08-31 | 2021-05-11 | Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company | Thermal recovery methods for recovering viscous hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation |
US11142681B2 (en) | 2017-06-29 | 2021-10-12 | Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company | Chasing solvent for enhanced recovery processes |
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US5202056A (en) * | 1991-12-30 | 1993-04-13 | Texaco Inc. | Composition of matter for oligomeric aliphatic ethers as asphaltene dispersants |
US5207891A (en) * | 1991-12-30 | 1993-05-04 | Texaco Inc. | Composition of matter for oligomeric aliphatic ether asphaltenes as asphaltene dispersants |
US5445179A (en) * | 1992-07-06 | 1995-08-29 | Eniricerche S.P.A. | Process for recovering and causing highly viscous petroleum products to flow |
US5311943A (en) * | 1992-10-19 | 1994-05-17 | Shell Oil Company | Blends of propoxy and ethoxy surfactants |
US5860475A (en) * | 1994-04-28 | 1999-01-19 | Amoco Corporation | Mixed well steam drive drainage process |
US5863301A (en) * | 1994-06-02 | 1999-01-26 | Empresa Colombiana De Petroleos ("Ecopetrol") | Method of produce low viscosity stable crude oil emulsion |
US5976200A (en) * | 1996-02-09 | 1999-11-02 | Intevep, S.A. | Water in viscous hydrocarbon emulsion combustible fuel for diesel engines and process for making the same |
US20060229231A1 (en) * | 2002-12-19 | 2006-10-12 | Yiyan Chen | Rheology Enhancers |
US7378378B2 (en) * | 2002-12-19 | 2008-05-27 | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | Rheology enhancers |
US7387987B2 (en) * | 2002-12-19 | 2008-06-17 | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | Rheology modifiers |
US20060185842A1 (en) * | 2002-12-19 | 2006-08-24 | Yiyan Chen | Rheology Modifiers |
US8178586B2 (en) | 2003-10-02 | 2012-05-15 | Oilflow Solutions Holdings Limited | Method for reducing the viscosity of viscous fluids |
US20070042911A1 (en) * | 2003-10-02 | 2007-02-22 | Philip Fletcher | Method for reducing the viscosity of viscous fluids |
US7745500B2 (en) | 2003-10-02 | 2010-06-29 | Advanced Gel Technology Limited | Method for reducing the viscosity of viscous fluids |
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US20090005490A1 (en) * | 2005-04-04 | 2009-01-01 | Jeffrey Forsyth | Wax-Containing Materials |
US8357745B2 (en) | 2005-04-04 | 2013-01-22 | Oilflow Solutions Holdings Limited | Wax-containing materials |
US7809538B2 (en) | 2006-01-13 | 2010-10-05 | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | Real time monitoring and control of thermal recovery operations for heavy oil reservoirs |
US7770640B2 (en) | 2006-02-07 | 2010-08-10 | Diamond Qc Technologies Inc. | Carbon dioxide enriched flue gas injection for hydrocarbon recovery |
US7770643B2 (en) | 2006-10-10 | 2010-08-10 | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | Hydrocarbon recovery using fluids |
US7832482B2 (en) | 2006-10-10 | 2010-11-16 | Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. | Producing resources using steam injection |
US20090078414A1 (en) * | 2007-09-25 | 2009-03-26 | Schlumberger Technology Corp. | Chemically enhanced thermal recovery of heavy oil |
US9366387B2 (en) * | 2009-12-15 | 2016-06-14 | Instituto Mexicano Del Petroleo | Process of preparing improved heavy and extra heavy crude oil emulsions by use of biosurfactants in water and product thereof |
US20110139262A1 (en) * | 2009-12-15 | 2011-06-16 | Instituto Mexicano Del Petroleo | Process of preparing improved heavy and extra heavy crude oil emulsions by use of biosurfactants in water and product thereof |
US10364386B2 (en) * | 2012-09-21 | 2019-07-30 | Instituto Mexicano Del Petroleo | Microemulsion to improve the flow of heavy hydrocarbons, its preparation and use |
US20140083705A1 (en) * | 2012-09-21 | 2014-03-27 | Instituto Mexicano Del Petroleo | Microemulsion to improve the flow of heavy hydrocarbons, its preparation and use |
US10689563B2 (en) | 2014-05-23 | 2020-06-23 | Instituto Mexicano Del Petróleo | Branched geminal zwitterionic liquids, method for obtaining same and use thereof as wettability modifiers having viscosity reducing properties |
US10968381B2 (en) | 2014-05-23 | 2021-04-06 | Instituto Mexicano Del Petróleo | Branched geminal zwitterionic liquids, method for obtaining same and use thereof as wettability modifiers having viscosity reducing properties |
US10245560B2 (en) | 2015-11-06 | 2019-04-02 | Dow Global Technologies Llc | Filtration and reuse of surfactant-containing produced water for oil recovery |
US11142681B2 (en) | 2017-06-29 | 2021-10-12 | Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company | Chasing solvent for enhanced recovery processes |
US10487636B2 (en) | 2017-07-27 | 2019-11-26 | Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company | Enhanced methods for recovering viscous hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation as a follow-up to thermal recovery processes |
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US11261725B2 (en) | 2017-10-24 | 2022-03-01 | Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company | Systems and methods for estimating and controlling liquid level using periodic shut-ins |
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